


Starship Captain, Part V: Making Preparations (2355-2364)

by mrpicard



Series: Starship Captain [5]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-14 21:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2203698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The years between the Stargazer and the Enterprise-D.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_2358_  
 _Sakal V_  
  
  
  
Ian Grant sighed and took another sip from the bottle of water that he had brought with him. He still had no idea how Jean-Luc had managed to talk him into this insane journey into the desert - it was not that their current excavation site did not provide enough work, after all, they had already found more artifacts than they could count.  
  
But then, he should have known that it would be pointless to try and make Jean-Luc listen to reason when he had one of his 'hunches'. Furthermore, his lover was a master at winning arguments - there had not been even _one_ that Ian had managed to win in the three months that the two of them had been together.

"Ian! I've found something!"  
  
Ian closed the bottle, put it back into his bag and then stood up. "Where are you?"  
  
"Over here! You have to see this!"  
  
A few seconds later Ian was standing next to Jean-Luc in front of an entrance to something that looked very much like a small cavern.  
  
"Is this what you were looking for?" he asked.  
  
Jean-Luc glanced at his tricorder. "Most likely, yes."  
  
"Don't you think we should tell the others first and then return with the proper -"  
  
"No. We're here now, there's no reason not to conduct a preliminary survey." Jean-Luc started to walk towards the entrance. "But if it makes you feel better - you can stay here, just in case something goes wrong."  
  
"Wait! What if -"  
  
Jean-Luc waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and disappeared into the cavern.

Ian sighed - yet another argument he had lost before it had even begun.

A few minutes (which seemed more like hours to Ian) Jean-Luc came out of the cavern again, in his hands a glowing green item at which he was staring in complete and utter disbelief.  
  
Ian recognized it immediately: It was, without a doubt, the legendary Zaterl Emerald.  
  
"This cavern… it… really belongs to the ruins of Ligillium, like I suspected," Jean-Luc managed to say, his voice shaking.  
  
Ian clenched his hands into fists. The archaeologist in him was desperate to reach out and touch the item, to evaluate it, to study it... and yet the rational man in him knew that he had to stay calm now... and provide a voice of reason.

"Take it back," he said softly.  
  
Jean-Luc looked up. "What?"

"I said, take it back."

"Ian, this is one of the greatest discoveries in the history of archaeology!"  
  
"That's exactly _why_ I want you to take it back. Let someone else find it."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"You're not an archaeologist, at least not at heart," Ian said, walked up to his lover and took the item from him. "If you tell everyone that you found this, they will want you to study it in order to uncover its secrets. This will lead to more excavations, more time in dusty caverns, deserts, you name it. And you will do all that because they expect it from you and you won't want to let them down. Hell, Professor Galen himself will most likely show up and talk you into even more missions. And, at some point, Starfleet will notice that you appear to no longer have the time and the ambition to be an officer. You will _never_ be out there in space again, at least not as the commanding officer of a starship. Your career will be finished. I can't let that happen. I _won't_."  
  
"Ian, don't you think you're overreacting a little?"  
  
"No. You know as well as I do that it's either archaeology or Starfleet. And, for _you_ , it's Starfleet. You're only here with me now because you lost the Stargazer. If you hadn't, you'd still be up there between the stars. And that's where you belong. Not into dusty caverns. These are _my_ specialty."  
  
"Ian -"  
  
"This one's _not_ open for debate, Jean-Luc." Ian walked into the small cavern, put the Emerald into one of the corners and placed a few small rocks around and on top of it. Then he walked back out again.

Jean-Luc was still standing in the very same spot. "You know, you could claim to have found it on your own."  
  
"Your DNA patterns are on it. I don't really want to mess around with it by trying to erase them. We don't know anything about its powers." Ian took his phaser out of his bag.  
  
Jean-Luc stared at him. "What are you doing?"  
  
"What is necessary." Ian raised his arm and fired at the top of the entrance. It collapsed, burying the way to the Emerald under a huge pile of rocks, sand and dust.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

_2360_   
_Sol System_

Jean-Luc admired the stars outside the shuttle's tiny window once more, he could not quite get enough of the mere sight.  
  
The small inspection tour Starfleet had sent him on was just a minor task, and yet he had been more than just happy when he had seen new orders in his message folder. They finally had sent him into space again, which was something he had desperately needed, especially after the rather nasty recent break-up with Ian.  
  
However... something was wrong, and it took him a few seconds to figure out that it was the sound of the shuttle's engines. He checked the engine readouts and then looked at the pilot in the seat next to his. It was a young ensign from the USS Victory, the ship that he was supposed to be inspecting.  
   
"You're an excellent pilot," Jean-Luc remarked – and he meant it, the young man's fingers moved over the control panels like as if they had never done anything else before.  
  
"Thank you, sir." The ensign beamed with pride, visible even through the VISOR that covered his eyes.  
  
Jean-Luc barely managed to hide his smile – ah, young people and their enthusiasm. "It's also an excellent shuttle... well, it _would_ be if it weren't for these strange drops in engine efficiency."  
  
The ensign nodded. "Yes sir, I noticed. It's the fusion initiators. They need to be re-fitted."  
  
Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow - this young fellow sure knew something about engines. "Well, it's just a minor imbalance. I'm sure it won't keep us from finishing this inspection tour tomorrow."  
  
"No sir, it won't."

***********

 

The shuttle's engines sounded much better. In fact, they sounded _exactly right_.  
  
For a moment Jean-Luc was puzzled because he knew that that re-fitting a bunch of fusion initiators definitely took an entire night or even longer - and then he suddenly realized why the young ensign next to him seemed to be so tired this morning.  
  
He made a mental note to keep the name 'Geordi LaForge' in mind.


	3. Chapter 3

_2362_   
_San Francisco, Earth_   
  


Jean-Luc stared at the message on his computer console. It was the one he had been waiting for, the one that he had begun to fear would never come: Starfleet Command was offering him another ship.  
  
But not just _a_ ship - they were offering him the brand-new Galaxy class starship U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, which was being put together right now at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards.  
  
They were offering him the _flagship_.  
  
Jean-Luc  ran his hand over his bald head. He had never thought it possible that Starfleet Command would even consider something like this, not after the loss of the Stargazer and the court martial that had followed the incident.  
  
Well, the brass had _certainly_ proven him wrong this time.  
  
The only thing that had made him hesitate to accept the offer right away was a little note at the end of the message: The Enterprise-D was intended to be a family ship, and Jean-Luc was anything _but_ a family man. And besides, officers knew what they got themselves into - but innocent children on a starship that would most likely be forced to go into battle? He seriously questioned Command's sanity in this matter.  
  
But still, it was the Enterprise they were offering him.  
  
He _had_ to accept.


	4. Chapter 4

 

_2363_

 

 

Jean-Luc stared at the young woman who was walking through the vicious minefield, steadily making her way towards a wounded colonist. She reached him, talked to him for a few seconds and then picked him up in what seemed an almost effortless act. Jean-Luc admired her grim determination as he watched her slowly walking back exactly the same way she had come.  
  
When she had reached the meadow next to the minefield she put the colonist down right next to a doctor, gave him a reassuring smile and then walked past Jean-Luc, already focusing on her next task.  
  
He followed her. "Wait."  
  
She stopped, turned around and looked at him questioningly. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Lieutenant Natasha Yar, sir."


	5. Chapter 5

 

 _2364_  
 _Some random holodeck_  
  
  
  
  
The two warriors in front of him were panting and one of them seemed to have a hard time remaining on his feet.  
  
Good.  
  
The young Klingon ducked and then drove his fist right into the exhausted warrior's face.  
  
The opponent went down, the other one looked at his fallen comrade - and then he growled and raised the ancient weapon he was holding.  
  
The Klingon glared at him. If that fool wanted a fight, he would _get_ -  
  
"Lieutenant Worf?"  
  
He froze (as did his opponent) and then he slowly turned around, not pleased about the interruption. It was not wise to approach a Klingon who was right in the middle of his holodeck exercise; he could still feel the blood rushing through his veins and the cry of the warrior in his ears was still loud and demanding as well - in short, he had to _force_ himself _not_ to simply grab the small, bald man in front of him.  
  
And then he blinked in surprise when he realized that the man was anything but frightened at the sight of an angry Klingon in full battle mode: He simply stood there, arms behind his back, a look of utter calmness on his face.  
  
Only then did Worf notice the four rank pips on the man's uniform and immediately snapped to attention. "Sir!"  
  
"Lieutenant, I would like to speak with you about an assignment I might have for you."  
  
Worf eyed the seemingly fearless bald captain once more – and then he nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

_2364_   
_San Francisco, Earth_   
  


 

Jean-Luc had read application after application, and they had all looked the same: Impressive, glowing with recommendations and honorary mentions.  
  
He was just about to put the one he was looking at aside when he noticed a small remark at the bottom.  
  
 _'Refused to allow to let Captain DeSoto beam down to Altair III due to a potentially dangerous situation.'_  
  
Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow - it was a rather bold act to actually _forbid_ one's captain to beam down to a planet. Of course it was a first officer's duty to protect his captain's life, but an act like this was actually more close to insubordination. And yet it also showed that a captain's life meant more to this officer than his own rank and reputation.  
  
What was this fellow's name?  
  
 _'William Thomas Riker.'_  
  
Jean-Luc smiled.


End file.
